US reverses sudden visa terminations for international students after legal challenges

The email stated that ICE is “developing a policy that will provide a framework for SEVIS record terminations.” Until that policy is formalised, the student records of Zheng and “similarly situated plaintiffs” will either remain active or be restored.

The sudden terminations came from SEVIS, the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System — a database used by ICE to track around 1.1 million foreign students in the US. According to the American Immigration Lawyers Association, over 4,700 students have had their records removed from SEVIS since Donald Trump took office in January, putting them at risk of deportation.

To stay in the US legally, student visa holders must comply with strict conditions, including limits on employment and maintaining a clean legal record. The terminations, which ICE often did not notify students or schools about, were largely discovered through routine school checks or after reports of similar cases.

The reversal is expected to apply broadly — not just to those who have filed lawsuits.